When I found out I was getting to try the AlterG "anti-gravity" treadmill developed by NASA -- I think I told everyone I knew. Several times. The AlterG works by pumping air into a chamber that surrounds your body from the waist down. This increases the air pressure and that, in turn, lifts you up so that your feet feel less of your weight as you walk or run. Bring the pressure up enough and it's almost like walking in space. Pretty cool, right?

If you're in decent shape, and are just looking for a standard cardio, muscle-building session, there's not a ton of payoff to this contraption. The more body weight you carry when you exercise, the more burn and benefit you get, so removing weight without some purpose actually makes your workout less effective. However, if you've had a back or leg injury -- reducing your body's impact on the ground can alleviate that hurt. This means you can keep yourself in shape and slowly build back strength in a safe and non-painful way. (Indeed, the AlterG is being used in hospitals to help spinal cord injury patients retrain their bodies for movement.)

Additionally, if you're an athlete training for an endurance race like a marathon or triathlon, not only does the machine reduce the likelihood of stress-related injury, you can also use it to increase your speed and build up your non-dominant muscles. I found the reason for this fascinating: When we're responsible for less body weight, it's easier to loosen up and extend our stride, which increases the range and distribution of muscles we use. This, in turn, will translate to better performance back in the "real world." (Interestingly, the product's press materials say that overweight people can also benefit; it protects joints from weight-related stress, they may be able to work out for longer intervals.)

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has had a tough year by all accounts. After dealing with the storm of controversy regarding Brett Favre (something that obviously still bothers him), he made his first start at Lambeau Field, getting in a win against the Minnesota Vikings.

He's down at the Super Bowl in Tampa this weekend, hanging out at Gatorade's G Studio, and I had a chance to chat with him. I left the Favre questions to the ESPN junkies -- I was more interested in this pro athlete's fitness tips. Check out the gallery to see the interview!

Curious to know how celebrities squeeze fitness into their daily lives? Want to know the secrets of the stars? Bi-weekly, our That's Fit fitness expert Fitz sits down with the celebs we want to know more about, and digs out their great and not-so-great methods to staying healthy.

My guest this week is a man who's made a career out of crashing and smashing both people and things. What fun! Ron Pitts' first career had him smashing into other large men as an NFL defensive back. This lead him into his second career as a Fox Sports Sportscaster, a job that kept talking about other men crashing into each other. Most recently, he's joined the team at Discovery Channel as host of the thrilling Destroyed in Seconds. As you can imagine, there's lots of crashing, exploding and worse during this exciting show.

Beyond all of this, Ron has pursued fitness for his whole life and after 17 years retired from the NFL, the guy is still pretty buff. He's a working father and husband, though, and struggles just like every other man in this world to squeeze it all in. Read on and learn how you can manage your life and rock your body too.

Fitz: You've been out of the NFL for 17 years but still look like you could step on any field and compete today. How do you do it?

Curious to know how celebrities squeeze fitness into their daily lives? Want to know the secrets of the stars? Bi-weekly, our That's Fit fitness expert Fitz sits down with the celebs we want to know more about, and digs out their great and not-so-great methods to staying healthy.

Travis McGriff is an elite athlete who broke records as a wide receiver at the University of Florida and then went on to play football in the NFL for both the Denver Broncos and Atlanta Falcons. He's trained with the best coaches and trainers one could wish for and has maintained his level of fitness since retiring from football several years ago. In fact, he says he's still "game ready." Fitness is, and always will be, part of his life. He has a bunch of neat NFL stories to share, and some fantastic suggestions to get you in great shape too.

Fitz: What is training like in the NFL?

Travis: It's a lot different than one would think! In the off-season, for example, players are basically left to do their own thing. The few programs offered are OK, but not the killer workouts one would imagine. And! In the fall, the training is nill. We were basically just playing ball.

Fitz: That is weird! Most people would expect pro football players to be challenged year round.

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Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answer. Our ThatsFit.com fitness expert -- and now your own virtual personal trainer -- will help you get fit, increase your overall health and do it in a fun way. Drop your questions here in the Comments section below and we'll choose two per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Fitzy. I work out a few times a week and eat pretty well, but "six-pack" abs have always escaped me. I do plenty of crunches, but nothing seems to bring me even close to the abs I see on the cover of Men's Health magazine. What is the secret to it? Chase

A. Ahhhh Chase. The elusive six pack. Doesn't every body wish for that? Yes ... almost everybody does. Very few actually achieve it, though. This is the deal Chase, the "secret," if you will. If you want to look like an athlete, you're going to have to behave like an athlete. Train ridiculously hard and eat ridiculously well. Six-pack abs are a sign of elite fitness for sure, and you're probably not going to earn them working out a "few times a week and eating pretty well."

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I'm literally a sobbing crying mess as I write this. I fell in love with a dying man a few weeks ago when I caught wind of him giving an amazing gift to his students, colleagues, friends and family at Carnegie Mellon University. Randy Pausch, a computer science professor gave his Last Lecture now famous on YouTube, on September 18, 2007. Randy's lecture was called "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams." Now, I have my own spectacular husband, but I imagine anyone who knows, or knows of Randy . . . would love him very much.

For a man whose pancreas is being destroyed by a cancer that could take his life within months . . . he was hysterical, energetic, inspirational, and relentless about the idea that life can be wonderful every day, and that his days still are. He told stories of his childhood and made one of the most insightful statements I've ever heard. "Are you a Tigger or an Eeyore? Choose!"

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I just returned from a place I've decided to be Man Heaven. Man Heaven is a place where loads and loads of men dressed in various colored athletic jerseys giddily board trams with feverish excitement to spend time with their favorite sports heroes. These men were squirming in their seats, beaming bright smiles and high-fiving their way all the way to the entrance gates of Disney World's Hollywood Studios. ESPN the Weekend is Man Heaven.

The weekend was filled with endless opportunities to meet, train with, question and listen to America's favorite ESPN stars: Donovan McNabb, Tony Gonzalez, Hershel Walker, John Stockton, Cal Ripken Jr., Chris Carter and more. Oodles of ESPN Sportscasters took stages across the park hosting their own scheduled and aired ESPN shows, and also hosted other fun question and answer sessions with the stars of Man Heaven.

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While watching the Super Bowl this past Sunday -- or any football game, for that matter -- did you happen to notice the explosive power many running backs possess? Even when there are guys trying to drag them to the ground, they are sometimes still able to forge ahead. To build this kind of strength, many football players are employing a now popular functional training technique involving the use of resistance tubing.

To properly perform one of the more popular resistance tubing exercises, you will need the help of another person. That individual will stand behind you, holding onto the handles attached to the tubing. The good news for them is that they will also get a pretty good bicep and leg workout when trying to stop your forward progress.

Start by placing the tubing across your midsection, just above your belt line. Then, sprint 15 feet with your knees up high and your arms pumping as your partner attempts to pull you back. Do this for several sets and then switch positions with your partner.

While performing this exercise may not land you a contract with an NFL team, it will work well to help you build your explosive speed and strength, in addition to increasing your overall stamina.

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It appears that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Ad Council and the National Football League (NFL) will form a partnership to launch a new series of advertisements with a goal of reaching more consumers about the dangers of childhood obesity.

Normally, I'm no fan of the overhyped and overpaid NFL, but when the league joins into a campaign to help make awareness of childhood obesity more available, credit is due.

The ad campaign will encourage kids to "get up and play an hour a day." That's good news for families and parents everywhere, but perhaps these folks will listen when NFL players start delivering the message instead of non-celebrities.

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This weekend at Super Bowl XLI, there will be more going on than punting, passing, and touchdowns. Dr. Arthur Roberts, former NFL quarterback and President of the Living Heart Foundation, will be screening 60 retired NFL players while they attend the game on February 4th. He's looking for data to add to his already interesting study that found that retired NFL lineman are at an increased risk for heart disease.

Professional (and occasionally student) linemen these days can reach 300-350 pounds, and retired athletes often leave the gridiron with bone and joint injuries that make it difficult for them to exercise. Robert's foundation found 52.8% of the retired linemen he screened had metabolic syndrome -- a collection of conditions that greatly increase a person's risk for heart disease. Only 22.2% of other retired players had similar problems, compared to 21.8% of the general public.

Though they aren't sure whether the cause is the extra weight or the way that linemen train, what the group does agree on is that when linemen leave the sport, whether they be professional, collegiate, or high school level, they need to significantly modify their lifestyles to try and take the weight back off.

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